


Same Side, Different Coin

by goodbyekillingharmony



Category: Metal Gear
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Have fun lads, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rating May Change, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Warnings May Change, expect that to take over my profile, i ruined the 69 in total samuraiden fics i apologise, rip to all of my a03 readers, so uhh yeah, yeah i like metal gear now, yeah i said fuck the canon i miss my boy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-16
Updated: 2019-08-17
Packaged: 2020-05-13 01:41:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19241266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goodbyekillingharmony/pseuds/goodbyekillingharmony
Summary: After defeating Senator Armstrong, Raiden barely clings onto his own life as he contemplates his own future. With new found morals, he decides to think it over by himself.That is, until a certain someone, whom he thought he killed with his own hands, comes back into his life, just as cocky as ever.





	1. Prelude after Dusk

**Author's Note:**

> if i aint getting my rising 2 i sure as hell will write it for konami like damn
> 
> also op is salty bc sam died so this is an au where sam is alive lmao bc thats epic

Words can’t describe how painful his entire body felt.

 

Actually, no. No words, no sounds, nothing could really. Not because he couldn’t emotionally or verbally which would be some combination of ‘Oh fuck, that really fucking hurts!’ or some other pained guttural sound, but because he couldn’t, psychically. 

Raiden honestly wished he had just settled down with Rosemary. That, at the very least, would mean that he’d still have both of his eyes, and wouldn’t currently be laying on a flat surface with several machines hooked up to him. But, he knew himself, he knew he’d have both his kidneys removed if it meant even saving one child from becoming a killing machine, just like he used to be, or like he currently is now.

It was honestly confusing. At least, he has this time to reflect on things, even the most trivial of matters. Especially, the last couple of days. He was proud of his achievements, of course, but Armstrong’s words still lingered in his mind. That was the last thing he could remember. Right after killing the senator, he just passed out and woke up only now in this room, the only thing he was able to move were his eyes which he used to gather as much info about this place as he could.

Raiden practically gave up after the first 10 minutes, and decided to think about how in the hell he even *got* here… Before giving up on that soon after. ‘Fine’, he thought, if his brain wasn’t willing to cooperate with him on that particular memory, then so be it. After all, it’s not like that was the only thing on Raiden’s mind, even going as far as to call it more jarring than this mysterious phenomenon. 

His own ideals and morals, that he built for however long he could remember, were completely shattered. The perpetrators were two men: Senator Armstrong and Jetstream Sam. Raiden could probably write an entire novel about how conflicted he is about Armstrong’s own ideology and mindset, but surprisingly, he couldn’t get his mind off of Sam, and his intentions. 

It’s still a mystery to the liberian what exactly his intentions were. Was he trying to help him? Or was his new found sympathy for him just a fluke to rile him up? Why did he decide to help him *after* he was already dead - killed by his own hands. Raiden couldn’t make heads or tails of his character. Although he decided not to ponder about it too much, he wouldn’t be able to ask him anymore, so there wasn’t really much point to dwell on it more than just surface level.

Raiden needed to rest his brain a bit, he’ll only dive into his own thoughts deeper when he feels better, emotionally and physically. The man closed his eyes and let his body and mind rest, just this once. He deserved it.

 

* * *

 

“Come on, Courtney! We both know how Raiden would react.”

“Kevin, c’mon, you know what will happen if we let him make up some dumb theories about how he actually got here.”

“We could always just lie to him, y’know. Like, a white lie!”

“Kevin!”

“What?! Oh, so you’re going to be the one who’s gonna tell him that his knight in shining armor was fucking Jetstream Sam?”

“W-Well, that’s, um-”

“Exactly! Case in point, he’s gonna go nuts once he finds out he’s not dead, so that’s why, we’re gonna lie to him to save him the trouble. The man’s been through enough, don’t you think?”

“Alright, fine. But, can we really think of a convincing story all by ourselves. There’s a lot that happened, and he’s a smart guy who can probably see right through us.”

“Huh. That’s funny. I thought you were a good liar. How else did you get this jo-”

“I could probably get away with murder if I really wanted to.”

“Point taken. Anyway, have fun with the night shift. Hit me up if Raiden wakes up or something.”

“I’m not letting you in if you’re going to show up drunk in the morning, you know.”

“Relax, Court! I’ll be just fine!”

“Fine, I believe you. Close the door before you go.”

“Gotcha! See you later!”

 

* * *

 

 

The night couldn’t have been way more boring for Courtney. Her task was simple: watch over Raiden and write down whenever he was asking strange. It was simple enough, but, by god, was it boring. The blonde could barely keep her eyes moment as she started drifting to sleep, the only thing keeping her semi-awake was her coffee that would splash on her lap everytime she lowered her arm, which would wake her up almost instantaneously. She loved Raiden, she really did. She’d even call him her closest friend, but this was unbareble.

To take her mind off of the situation, she started talking to Raiden, although it was more akin to a monologue since Courtney knew the man couldn’t respond, even if he really wanted to. The anesthetic he was put under after Kevin has witnessed the liberian dart his eyes around like a maniac was way stronger than the original one, which Doktor feared would be too much for his current body to bare. He seemed to be taking it fine, but they couldn’t be too careful.

After downing the last of her coffee, she sat the mug down on her desk and averted her eyes over to the man, a rush of guilt immediately taking over her conscious. Raiden was barely clinging onto life, his metallic body for the most part being destroyed. His face was covered in scars and bruises and she knew it would take well over a month for Raiden to make a full recovery, which was detrimental to say the least.

She took in a deep breath and started talking, although with a fairly strained and shaky voice as she tried to hold back her tears as much as possible, seeing a good friend in such a state.

 

“You have no idea how happy I am that you’re ok, Raiden. I honestly don’t know what would happened if you were… gone. You seriously need to be more careful out there, Sam already did quite a number on you before you even arrived in Pakistan. We still don’t know for certain how you managed to cling onto life, but, here you are! But, you can thank Sam for that. Seriously, we were so ready to blow his brains out when we saw him near the entrance carrying your body. We were prepared for the absolute worst. Yet, he just sat you down in front of the door, explaining a few things and just… left.”

The room fell silent for a bit while Courtney pondered, her head stuck high in the clouds, imagining how Raiden would react if he could actually have heard her. A scenario where Raiden immediately get defensive, his face turning bright red as a result from all the screaming and yelling stuck out in her mind. “This isn’t some kind of fucking bootleg version of Sleeping Beauty! He could have actually done something, like, rig a bomb in my ass! Why are you all laughing, you assholes?” is probably what Raiden would say in a scenario like this. To Courtney, it made her laugh unlike anything she’s witnessed recently, audibly laughing as tears started forming in her eyes, but this time it was the result of joy.

“A-Ah man, you’d get so pissed. I’m honestly just tempted to tell you, just for your reaction alone. You always were quite the defensive type, Rai. I’m honestly surprised that you’re in a relationship right now, Rose must be one patient lady. I couldn’t even imagine what would happen if-”

The sound of footsteps gradually approaching her and Kevin’s office was clearly audible. Courtney eventually realized what that sound was and immediately sprang to her feet, pulling out a small handgun she had in her purse. An intruder? This place had fairly good security, so it couldn’t have been your typical burglar. How did they slip past the security cameras? Granted, Collins wasn’t paying as much attention to the footage as she needed to, but she should have seen something. 

She started approaching the closed office door slowly while pulling out another item from her purse: her phone.  The blonde called the only person who she knew could help in this situation: Kevin Washington.

“K-Kevin. C-Come to the office, ASAP.”

“C-Courtney? Speak up, I can’t hear you.”

“I said come to the office! I think someone broke in.”

“W-What? Are they after Raiden?”

“I don’t know! J-Just get in here.”

“Did you inform security?”

“W-Well, no, but-”

“What the fuck are you calling me for?!”

“L-Listen. I got a gun and it’s too late for me to call them. … C-Can you call them for me?”

“Fine, just, stay safe, stay inside the office and don’t do anything stupid.”

“Got it. I’ll see you in a bit.”

After some time, she finally reached the door, hesitating whether or not she should open it. It was dangerous, even she knew that. If whoever broke in was after Raiden, then they were ill equipped for this type of scenario that’s for sure. Well, that would be the case if the building’s security guards hadn’t seemingly disappeared. 

She finally decided to open the door, even if it was just to see if the intruder had any weapons on him of any sort, so she could quickly think up a plan, but what she was unexpected, to say the least.

 


	2. Words Are Absolute

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Courtney encounters the mystery intruder, she finds herself learning a thing or two about how trust can manifest in even the most surprising circumstances.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOW,,,, this was on hiatus for a while im so sorry omg i had major writers block but im back now !! school is coming up soon but i dont think itll disturb me too much !! i have my inspiration back so hopefully ill release chapter 3 before the start of the school year for me 
> 
> anyway i had to cut out a lot of things from this chapter so if it seems...wonky im so sorry also bc i am super rusty currently hghhghh

“W-What the hell?! Wh-What are you doing here?”

“Why, isn’t it obvious? I’m checking up on my dear damsel in distress.”

Things could honestly not get any worse, Courtney thought. Without doubt, without question, the person in front of her could have been no one else, but motherfucking Jetstream Sam. She hardly had any time to even process the current situation, as her immediate instinct was to get him the hell away from Raiden. Thinking she was in no condition to actually go toe-to-toe with the man, she decided to use a calm approach, at least for now.

“He’s, uhh, in bit of a pinch right now. You should come back when he’s not, oh, I dunno... Not on the brink of death?”

Alright, that didn’t work. The amount of disdain she had for the Brazilian was huge. She could hardly look Sam in the eye without feeling an overwhelming urge to punch him right between his eyes and knock that stupid grin off his face, at least for short time. Even if she tried to hide it as much as possible, that still didn’t stop her body language giving away the impression that she was just about to assault him. 

“In a pinch, you say? As I recall, without my assistance, he would have been a rotting corpse in the middle of the desert.”

Courtney finally understood why Raiden had zero patience for this man. His smug grin was plastered all over his tanned face, his arms resting on his hips, the tone of voice even; How the hell did Raiden not kill him sooner? Well, almost. The blonde was near her breaking point, she could only handle so much. She started fidgeting with her fingers, trying to figure out a good excuse to escape this scenario so that she and Raiden would be safe. I guess she’ll play along for now. After all, she needed to buy as much time as she could, just in case the security guards finally figure out how to do their job. And if that fails, she could at least wait for Kevin.

“Right… Well, thank you for saving him, I guess. But, don’t expect us to give you a medal or something. I hope you realize that you sliced out his eye, one that we couldn’t repair.”

“Oh, I remember. Such a shame too, his eyes were rather gorgeous.”

“W-What? Y-You do realize what you’re saying, right?”

“Excuse me, but did I stutter? I didn’t think so.”

How was she supposed to reply to that? This situation was going down the drain rather rapidly, and she could sense the taller man getting impatient with her. She knew she couldn’t voice her actual thoughts, otherwise she’d be as good as dead, but she’s way past the line where regular small talk would work… Think, Courtney!

“You, uhh, uhm… W-Wait, I have a question!”   
“Hm? And what might that be?”

“Did you come back really just for Raiden?”

“I think I answered that already-”

“No, you didn’t. C’mon, didn’t you hate the guy’s guts? Even if you didn’t, he wouldn’t want to see you again. He would just make a fuss about it and potentially kill you again. Are you *really* willing to take that risk?”

“Well, yes. … Are we done here, by the way? I really don’t have a lot of time, considering your little friend is almost here. Oh, and before you ask, you should really consider learning how to whisper, you were practically yelling the entire time.”

Shit. Shit. Shit. Now, she really has nowhere to run. She knows stalling would only upset him further, and he could potentially hurt her or even that unlucky bastard laying there in a comatose state. Courtney could feel her face turning red as small droplets of sweat ran down her forehead. She was terrified. She could hardly even muster a rebuttal before Sam basically pushed her out of doorway, the blonde nearly landing face first into the hard metallic floor. 

“K-Kevin, c’mon, can’t you get here faster, you fucking asshole.”

She swore under her breath as she saw Sam approaching the rather small medical facility where Raiden was kept in. She quickly grabbed her phone which she absent mindedly put in her jean pocket while she was talking with Sam. She scrolled through her contact list as she started standing up, running toward the entrance of the room. Finally, she called Kevin.

“Cou-”

“Kevin, get the fuck in here! Now! Where even fucking are you?”

“C-Courtney! Watch the swears-”

“There’s no time for that! Did you call the-”

“Yeah… They should get there in about…”

“Fuck…”

“What…?”

“...”

“C-Courtney!! Wh-What the fuck is going on in there? ...Courtney?”

“G-Get away from him… or I’ll shoot.”

“Sh-Shoot?! Courtne-”

Honestly, even the woman herself didn’t know she was doing. Everything happened so fast: she didn’t even realize she had thrown her phone to the side and picked up the gun she had in her purse. She was shaking incredibly hard as she started approaching the much taller man from behind, her finger creeping toward the trigger. She couldn’t even begin to imagine what would happen to Raiden if he got hurt somehow. No, now wasn’t the time for that. She still has a chance, she still-

What?

He was just standing there, completely still. His eyes were shooting daggers into Raiden’s comatose body, even breathing more heavily. What was he planning to do? 

“What… type of anasthetic did you give him, by the way?”

“W-What? What do you mean?”

“I think I don’t need to explain my reasoning. Come look for yourself. Oh, put away that gun, will you? Don’t want to risk anything, you know?”

Was she just supposed to trust this man? I mean, he did seem pretty genuine in his reaction, and as much as she herself hates to admit it, Sam did indeed save Raiden’s life. Although, she should at least put it somewhere within arms reach. Just in case. 

She did exactly that and cautiously entered the small room. Fear in her heart and mind, preparing herself for the worst. She’d seen Raiden in all sorts of states before, she should have been prepared for anything.

It honestly took all of her strength to not let out a shout.

He looked horrible. His face was covered in a deep red rash for the most part, and the parts that didn’t looked paler than a vampire’s own complexion. The non-stop twitching, drool seeping out of his mouth, it was like a horror movie.

In the midst of all this, the blonde noticed the machine for monitoring his heart rate had begun to beep faster, and his blood pressure was off the charts. She was no doctor, but even she could tell that this was serious.

“H-How did you even know it was an anaesthtic?”

“I’ve had this happen to me before, although I was told I just had an allergic reaction to it. Does he, by chance, have any allergies?”

“None that I know of. I’m pretty sure I’d be informed if he did. Should I take him off of it?”

“That… would be for the best, yes.”

Collins quickly sprinted to the machine where the medicine had been administered to him and turned it off. I know Doktor would have probably thrown her out by now, seeing how poorly she’s handling the current situation, but she pushed that thought to the back of her mind when she saw that Raiden’s heart rate started returning to normal after a while. She glanced over to Raiden himself, before her eyes immediately darted to Sam, who had begun pacing around the room. 

She was left dumbfounded. The man had a worried expression on his face, his body almost completely stiff as he tried to look around the room for… something. This was probably a bad idea, but decided not to pry, unless he asked her, considering he basically saved Raiden’s life back there. Again.

“Hey, question.”

“Y-Yeah? What is it?”

“Why did you put him under even?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, he was conscious when I took him back here, barely, but he was. And, at least to me, he didn’t seem that badly damaged. I’ll admit, Armstrong did a number on him back there, but did he somehow get worse, or did you put him under because of your own worrisome thoughts?”

“I...can’t really answer that, honestly. It wasn’t dictated by me at all. It was Boris and Doktor…”

“Your so-called ‘medical experts’, right?”

“Hey! They’re the ones who saved his life after *you* were the one who almost killed him.”

“To be fair, he really left me no other choice. I wasn’t even trying to kill him anyway.”

“Yeah right. So, cutting out his eye was also not apart of your murderous plot?”

“I didn’t mean to cut out his damn eye in the first place. Bastard ran toward me so fast it was the only thing I could do. He does have the stamina, I’ll give him that.”

“You don’t seem to be lying, so I’m confused. I don’t think I’ll ever understand your intentions even if I try.”

“I am one hard man to read, I’ll admit. Anyway, do you kn-’’

“C-Courtney! Courtney! I-I’m here!”

“Fuck…” 

That was the only thing Sam could muster out upon seeing a countless amount of security guards pointing their weapons at him. He actually wanted to visit Raiden again, so it would be wise of him to get out of here, preferably without any casualties, but that was honestly doubtful. They’re not dumb enough to just let him go scot free. He *did* break into Maverick after all. 

Kevin rushed over to Courtney, his own weapon in the back of his pocket. He grabbed the woman’s hand as he lead her back near the doorway, holding it tightly. The security guards didn’t change positions, but were ready to either shoot the man or even kill him.

“Did he hurt you, Courtney? Did he do an-”

“Let him go, Kevin.”

“Court, are you out of your fucking mi-”

“No. I’m certain of this. Let him go, Kevin. Don’t make my say it again.”

“A-Are you sure? You do realize who this man is r-ri-”

“Kevin.”

Washington inhaled sharply as he told the guards to lower their weapons and to exit the room, Sam following soon after. He gave Courtney a small smile before leaving, making it clear that he’s going to come back soon enough. In other words, she was fucked.

“C-Courtney… Please tell me he didn’t threaten you or anything. He didn’t hurt you right? W-We can still get him y’kn-”

“I told you, it’s fine, Kevin. If Boris wants to fire me, let him. I know I made the right decision.”

“You still haven’t told me what happened, Court. No shit I’m going to worry, you’re acting all weird.”

“Let’s just say: he saved Raiden again. And, also, let me take over night shifts from now on.”

“You look really determined, you know.”

“Because I am. Just… trust me, alright? I think I’m onto something here.”

“...Alright. I trust you. I won’t even say anything to Doktor or Boris. But, if anything happens during any of these nights: tell me.”

“I will. I think he might be closer to waking up than we first realized too.”

“You know what he’ll say, right?”

“Yeah. I sure do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> follow instagram: @trubonny

**Author's Note:**

> i apologise for any crackhead moments in this im a little hhh rn graduation drains you anyway yeah sorry for the cliffhanger too but the next chapter is gonna be real long so itll be compensated for 
> 
> instagram - @trubonny


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